« The Five Things You Don't Know About Me Post | Main | Tools of Change Conference for publishers »

Holiday Reading List Book Reviews

Admitting that the holidays are really and truly over is a painful act, so despite the fact that I've been back at work this week, I'm posting my Holiday Reading List Book Reviews as if I were still at leisure. This holiday season I've managed to plough through a good number of books, fiction and non-, and acquired even more that are waiting for a moment of calm. In case you're looking for something to read, here are some suggestions (and warnings):

  • Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell: Recommended by one of my most trusted book friends, Cloud Atlas was possibly the best piece of fiction I've read in years. My reading of "serious" contemporary fiction has dropped off in the past five years or so, largely because every time I delve in I'm disappointed, annoyed, or overcome by the schlockiness of it all. The last book I found as satisfying as Cloud Atlas was Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections. While I don't think The Corrections is for everyone, I can't imagine a reading friend who wouldn't appreciate Cloud Atlas. Go buy a copy.

  • Casino Royale by Ian Fleming: Been watching Bond movies for years but you've never read any of the books? Well, don't bother, if the first one is any guide. Casino Royale was a real snooze; the movie, which I saw over the holidays with my family, was ten gazillion times better. Ian Fleming's young Bond seems an arrogant dolt, deeply unperceptive (I wonder if Vesper's nightly sobbing and daily secret phone calls during our romantic getaway spell T R O U B L E...? Bond's conclusion: no, girls are just weepy), and frankly sounds unattractive (not unimportant if you're claiming to be James Bond, right.) Also, predictably, the girls are real sissies, and not nearly vixenish enough to entertain. Ugh. Go see Daniel Craig instead.

  • A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924 by Orlando Figes: I actually read this over Thanksgiving, but am including it in holiday reading since Favorite Husband read it over Christmas, sparking much Russian history discussion at the Haven-D'Amato dinner table. The long and short of it is: read this book, if you have any desire to understand the underpinnings of the revolution. It's excellent, a 900-page page-turner, which is something one wouldn't usually expect in a brick-sized tome. Figes packs the book with anecdotes illuminating the tidal shifts in power, particularly from the 1914-1919 era. A main point that both FH and I took away from the narrative was how unlikely the Bolshevik seizure of power really was -- for much of the period under discussion, the country was entirely up for grabs, and much of the reason that the more moderate socialists didn't step forward was their hilarious and tragic belief in the rule book of revolution: we can't seize power, they explained to each other, because the book says that we need to have another twenty years of bourgeois development before the glorious socialist revolution could happen. Of course, anyone who has studied Marx knows that theory, but the idea that a group of so-called revolutionaries were presented with the possibility of taking on the reigns of state and stepped back from because of a theoretical map laid out by a 19th century philosopher is astonishing in 2006. Lenin, of course, only worried about that issue for, say, five minutes before shoving everyone aside and making the fatal grab for Russia.

  • Best American Short Stories 2006 edited by Ann Patchett and Katrina Kenison: Usually, I enjoy this collection, but this year, it's draaaaging. I'm only halfway through, so hope lies in the next 10 pieces, but the stories so far have been ethereal, very atmospheric rather than character or plot driven. I mention it because I think my reaction actually points to a good thing about this series, that is, they pull in a new editor every year who brings their own slant to the choices. As Patchett says in her introduction, these aren't the *best* short stories of 2006, they're *her* 20 favorite stories of 2006. I wasn't a big fan of Patchett's book Bel Canto (although it won all sorts of awards), so I'm not surprised, on reflection, that I'm not moved by her short story choices. A word to the wise: know your anthologist.

  • American Pastoral by Philip Roth: Like every dutiful American fiction reader, I feel like I should read AND appreciate Philip Roth. I made it through The Human Stain a while back and did, you know, appreciate it, although it left a bad taste...I always find it hard to read novels peopled with wholly unlikable characters. Nevertheless, occasionally when I know I'm headed for a long flight, I choose to bring a book that I have been meaning to read and that I think in other circumstances, I might set down after the first few pages. So I picked up American Pastoral on my way out the door for the flight from London to Los Angeles back in December, and resisted the urge at the airport to pick up any other reading material that might offer me an easy out, should I regret my Roth. Oh, what a mistake. Six hours into the twelve hour flight, my laptop was out of juice, my iPod had mysteriously shut itself off and poutingly refused to turn on again, and I was two agonized hours into American Pastoral, possibly my least favorite forced reading experience of a decade. Why is Roth The Man of contemporary American letters? Why? Why? Why? Although the flight offered me many, many hours to review this question, I did not manage to come up with an answer, despite the fact that I got three-quarters of the way through AP before touching down in LA. Perhaps the last quarter of American Pastoral holds the key to this puzzler, but since I set fire to the book in the backyard barbeque upon reaching my parents' house, I guess we'll never know, will we?

  • Machine Beauty: Elegance and the Heart of Technology by David Gelernter: If you need an anecdote to Roth (or your version of Roth), pick up a copy (and go for the hard cover, you cheapskate) of David Gelernter's lovely long essay on beauty as a driver of innovation in technology. It's counterintuitive but obvious in retrospect, and so engaging that you may not even smell the charred Roth wafting in from the backyard.

  • December 6 by Martin Cruz Smith and The Moscow Vector by Robert Ludlum: Let's acknowledge the private, dirty joy of an airport spy novel. What more can I say, except that in truth, the 12 hour flight back to London passed much more quickly with Martin Cruz Smith in hand than with Philip Roth on the way out. And my second iPod also broke directly after takeoff, so it was a completely level playing field. I don't recommend either of these books, but then I also wouldn't recommend that you eat an entire bag of Reeses Peanut Butter cups in one sitting, if you get my drift.


  • The Elements of Style by Strunk and White: Possibly you read this, or exerpts of this, if you were once an American schoolchild. Read it again. William Strunk's clear, cool advice will resonate. As he tells you to use "definite, specific, concrete language," to "avoid a succession of loose sentences," to "omit needless words", you will think: guilty. My version is new and illustrated by Maira Kalman, which makes it more fun. A large part of the fun is not in her illustrations themselves, but in evaluating her choice of phrases to illustratrate. I would have illustrated the book entirely differently than she did, and imagining your own visuals alongside Strunk and White's spare, wise remarks makes for an amusing afternoon. And perhaps improved writing.

And books to look forward to...my father and brother ganged together and bought me, luxuriously, three of Edward Tufte's toothsome books on information design: Envisioning Information, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, and Beautiful Evidence, his most recent. I also have Julian Barnes latest, Arthur and George, on the stack, Gogol's Dead Souls (which I started in California but haven't finished), and eternally, that bastion of the bedside table, Jonathan Spence's The Search for Modern China (five years and counting).

Recommendations for further reading always more than welcome.

Posted by Janet on January 6, 2007 03:47 AM |

Comments

casino online

Posted by: casino online | February 22, 2007 05:48 AM

vkpjz qdcpn pszd tgfre fryonbuhl tosl tmdnuk

Posted by: bruizf kbsrnl | March 25, 2007 02:15 AM

kwdcqapie qbztpvim tqpucr uqjyxo otwrgjq cvxn lcdaiqz http://www.dajn.hlwfvnz.com

Posted by: icwqalurj dhnbfo | March 25, 2007 02:15 AM

mortgage century new co

Posted by: mortgage new century careers | April 3, 2007 12:47 PM

Cool site. Thanks!!!
http://kanutahhemo.deviantart.com/ Deviant

Posted by: Sex | April 5, 2007 07:55 PM

casinos rtg online

Posted by: states online casinos | April 10, 2007 01:58 PM

network quote mortgage

Posted by: fast mortgage quote | April 11, 2007 01:08 PM

quote compare mortgage

Posted by: mortgage quote for | April 15, 2007 02:41 PM

atlanta new mortgage century

Posted by: century mortgage corperation new | April 25, 2007 01:09 AM

lenders mortgage closed

Posted by: lenders mortgage retail | May 2, 2007 02:11 AM

Good site. Thank you.
http://ihoinre.tripod.com sony vaio

Posted by: software | May 8, 2007 04:10 AM

Cool site. Thank you:-)
http://hometown.aol.com/oingsafifi/ software

Posted by: electronics | May 8, 2007 07:14 AM

when right refinance to your time mortgage is the

Posted by: time mortgage is to the right when refinance your | May 10, 2007 04:26 AM

mortgage refinance idaho

Posted by: mortgage refinance idaho | May 11, 2007 10:18 AM

online gambling recommendations

Posted by: gambling online recommendations | May 13, 2007 12:06 AM

water softners free

Posted by: salt softners water | May 17, 2007 04:49 PM

accelerator mortgage calculator

Posted by: piti mortgage calculator | May 20, 2007 12:36 AM

subprime mortgage loans

Posted by: mortgage subprime loans | May 24, 2007 06:54 PM

Very good site. Thanks!
http://ihoinre.tripod.com hardware

Posted by: software | May 31, 2007 03:32 AM

Nice site. Thanks:-)
http://www.volny.cz/heskey777/hydrocodone/ hydrocodone dosage

Posted by: hydrocodone 5 500 | June 4, 2007 01:10 PM

Cool site. Thank you!
http://www.volny.cz/heskey777/soma/ soma club

Posted by: about soma | June 4, 2007 03:14 PM

Cool site. Thanks!
http://www.volny.cz/heskey777/ringtone/ alltel ringtones

Posted by: get free ringtones | June 5, 2007 04:30 AM

Very good site. Thanks!!!
http://rlink.org/5375 hartford insurance

Posted by: farmers insurance | June 11, 2007 02:31 PM

Very good site. Thank you!
http://rlink.org/5377 healthcare insurance

Posted by: holiday insurance | June 12, 2007 05:04 AM

Cool site. Thanks!
http://rlink.org/5378 insurance institute

Posted by: renter's insurance | June 12, 2007 12:36 PM

snow chasing cars patrol listen

Posted by: lyrics snow chasing patrol cars | June 28, 2007 06:20 PM

Good site. Thank you!!!
http://www.positivos.com/tmp/functions/air-ticket.htm airline ticket reservations

Posted by: air plane ticket | July 2, 2007 11:20 PM

Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! hdfbjzpdel

Posted by: fuuofpcudy | July 7, 2007 09:18 AM

Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! hdfbjzpdel

Posted by: gckyrmrtaj | July 7, 2007 09:18 AM

lender mortgage california

Posted by: buying mortgage lender | July 11, 2007 05:09 PM

loans mortgage subprime approval

Posted by: loans dallas mortgage subprime | July 17, 2007 12:51 AM

pharmacy online soma

Posted by: soma online pharmacy | July 19, 2007 01:36 AM

calculators mortgage adjustable

Posted by: mortgage wells calculators | July 22, 2007 10:20 PM

century mortgage replacement new

Posted by: new century mortgage beltran | August 2, 2007 02:39 AM

Very nice point of view! Respect!

Posted by: pztommyrl | August 3, 2007 10:24 PM

good site! http://part-3z.cn/24.html >ulalalaa

Posted by: aotommykn | August 3, 2007 10:24 PM

Very nice point of view! Respect!

Posted by: gho777mojd | August 4, 2007 05:34 PM

Please, if you have free time, visit one website. I'd be grateful as once I applied at a website and got bad experience. The card didn't come, maybe even someone stole it from postbox. But my friend recommended another site he recently found. Please, tell me if I can apply for a good credit card at ?
http://platinum-orchard-offer-visa.cleaningup-ccreditcards.info >orchard bank card status

Posted by: bacreditasm | August 6, 2007 01:26 AM

Hello, your site leaves an impression! It's utterly important that the site should be created by experts, especially a credit related site. I also found a web source presenting various credit card applications for credit history of all types and customer support which can answer any question concerning choosing card or building credit -
http://mastercard-tribute-payment-period.cleaningup-cedit.info >aspire credict card

Posted by: bacreditsju | August 6, 2007 03:08 AM

Cool site. Thank you!!!
http://www.regio-hr.com/functions/mortgage2.htm mortgage banking

Posted by: co mortgage | August 6, 2007 05:35 AM

Very nice point of view! Respect!

Posted by: iao777mois | August 6, 2007 11:11 AM

There are lots of good examples how a smart person can make those credit cards work for him. I hope to do the same by applying for a credit card at
http://experian-credit-cards-score.cleaningupcrdite.info >credit cards for people with 500 credit scores

Posted by: bacredityba | August 6, 2007 11:55 PM

boob implants and

Posted by: boob implants and | August 7, 2007 04:23 AM

Very nice point of view! Respect!

Posted by: vzo777moev | August 7, 2007 08:26 AM

Very nice point of view! Respect!

Posted by: jro777moyj | August 7, 2007 04:41 PM

I am a 40 yr old student. This is the limit age. At this age what is my chance to get a low rate student credit card? Please advise if you know. Can I apply at
http://creditaccount-orchard.cleaningupcerdic.info >household bank platinum

Posted by: bacreditjhy | August 7, 2007 05:24 PM

Very nice point of view! Respect!

Posted by: gso777mock | August 7, 2007 09:23 PM

Very nice point of view! Respect!

Posted by: dfo777moiq | August 8, 2007 03:17 PM

Very nice point of view! Respect!

Posted by: xco777movp | August 8, 2007 06:56 PM

I like it! e8bb83e73a333c633b8aad76ffdf52fe

Posted by: islokomotiveib | August 9, 2007 02:09 PM

I like it! 11708825eea2f77a70c76555ca0dad36

Posted by: bzlokomotiveff | August 9, 2007 04:36 PM

I'm addicted to credit cards and I have 10 of them at the moment. Whenever I get a credit card application form in the mailbox or find an online application, I fill it in and accept the offer. But my credit score has gone down because of that and I'm advised to close some of the credit lines. I don't see how possibly I can do it as I've found so enticing credit card offers at
http://building-credit-loans-for.cleanupdards.info >credit cards to establish your credit again

Posted by: bacreditgal | August 9, 2007 04:55 PM

I was lucky enough o get my credit card information stolen. My credit history was messed up. It took me awhile to solve the problem. After that I didn't want to use credit cards online because I didn't want to screw everything up again. Now I need a new one and I'm thinking about applying for one at
http://business-orchard-credit-bank.cleaningup-craditcard.info >orchard bank ccredit card offer

Posted by: Cacredittbr | August 10, 2007 08:28 AM

iron water pumps

Posted by: garden water pumps | August 13, 2007 09:53 PM

Post a comment